NHLPA In A Pickle

Hello. Woe is the NHLPA. The past two years have not been kind. After calling the NHL's bluff, then finding out they weren't bluffing, the players decided to take a deal that they said they would never take. They fired Bob Goodenow and replaced him with Ted Saskin, who had in essence been running the show ever since Goodenow's wait it out tactics had been rejected by the rank and file.
What followed were allegations Saskin was not hired properly, followed by the latest email privacy breach claims. As a result, Saskin has been suspended with pay indefinitely. Now it just seems to be a question of how the NHLPA will transition to a new leader.
The question I have is, what has the NHLPA been doing for its members over the years? There's been no mandatory face protection, which could've been grandfathered in like helmets were. When Steve Moore was attacked by Todd Bertuzzi, the union came to Bertuzzi's aid, but not Moore's. And the latest lockout was poorly orchestrated to say the least.
Could the players have faired as well, or even better, without the NHLPA? I'm no union expert, but I can't imagine how it could be worse. The main thing that has helped the players over the years has been the agents, not the union.
It'll be interesting to see what happens over the next year. As someone who has always supported the players, I think they can only go up from here.

Regards,
Steve